Homecoming for Car # 531

Transcription

1 Otcober 2013 Homecoming for Car # 531 San Diego Electric Railway Association DBA San Diego Electric Railway Co. Inc 922 West 23rd Street National City, CA (619) In this issue: PCC Car Project Update page 2 President s Message page 3 Transit Topics page 4 Photos of car #531 move page 5 Tom Matson Passes page 9 Letters page 10 Upcoming Events Back Page SDERA operates the historic National City Depot museum which is located at 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA and is open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or visit us on the web at: The crew at C&D Towing makes this tight maneuver look easy After many months of planing and hard work from our volunteers; the big day of transferring car # 531 from MTS shops in downtown San Diego the 41/2 mile trip to the museum in National City is done. The car was donated to us by the San Diego Vintage Trolley, Inc. Many thanks to the donor! The car is in excellent condition, save for needed body and paint work. Since the car is now being displayed out in the open and no longer in the shelter of the MTS barn, this work is more important than ever before. We are arranging our equipment in preparation of the beginning of this second phase of the restoration project, which will soon be underway. Many thanks to our moving company, C&D Towing Specialists of La Mesa, CA for their very professional work! San Diego Electric Railway Association, Inc v Dave Slater - President/GM v Tom Carnes - Vice President v Jody Surowiec - Acting Secretary v Jeff Trimble - Treasurer v Jim Anderson - Director v Mitch Beauchamp - Director v Charles Smith - Director v Mike Reneau - Director v Chris Higgins - Director/ Web Master v Sam Judd - Of Counsel v Richard Finch - Editor v Jody Surowiec - Editorial Staff v Tom Sapien - Librarian v Ron Sutch - Staff Photographer v Bill Steinmetz-Groundskeeper v Jim Anderson - Curator of Special Collections Gift Shop Manager/ Facilities Director v John De Lalla - Special Events/ Docent Coordinator/ Membership Director

2 Page 2 SDERA Trolley Lines PCC Car Project Update Dave Slater Restoration Project Manager Now on the web at: The restoration of car # 531 now takes the place of the PCC Car Restoration Project which is now closed for hands on, active work. As previously reported, this project has two parts: Part One is for transportation of this car from the A Shop at 12th & Imperial Avenue, to our Museum s southwest display track. Cost: $2, This job was completed on September 19 With the help of C & D towing in charge of the actual move. Part two is for body and paint work on the outside of the car. Cost: $12, As of the September 9th board meeting, Treasurer, Jeff Trimble tells us that we have so far amassed $4, with donations still coming in. A part of the monies on deposit are from The Horseless Carriage Organization of Southern California. Their officers that are responsible for this generous donation are: President, Deborah Judd, Board member, Sam Judd, (Our Corporate Counsel, and long time member) and his brother, their Treasurer, Michael Judd. I previously sent them our Thank You letter. Please let me say this once again, on behalf of my fellow Board members and the membership in general. The list of names in the right column are of those donors who allowed us to mention their names. Some wish to remain anonymous. We will never mention the amounts each donor gives. Meanwhile, our volunteer crews are being gathered to move the track inspection equipment from this southwest display track to Track #1 North to make room for PCC #531. Our Lead man on this is Charles Smith. Photo by Richard Finch The balance of the money we need at this writing (September 10th for the October issue) is $10, Please keep your donations coming in for this very worthwhile project. Press the Donate button on our website,( ) or mail your check to the Museum. 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA Of course, all donations are tax deductible. Some of our many donors are; 1. P. Alan Copeland 2. Jeff Trimble 3. John De Lalla 4. Ross Robinson 5. Tom Matson 6. Charles Greene 7. Don Anderson 8. Peter Lucas 9. Roger Beckman 10 Tom Carnes 11. Dr. & Mrs. John Dunn 12. The Horseless Carriage Organization of Southern California Charter service for your gathering is available at almost any day or time with advance arrangements with Judy. For charter information and scheduling, please contact Judy Leitner at MTS. (619)

3 October 2013 Page 3 By Dave Slater President s Message The reassembly of PCC #530 Which was part of the agreement with MTS for the donation of car # 531 is now complete, thanks to the efforts of members Dan Kelly, Dennis Frazier, Eddie McCann, Aaron Donovan, Mitch Kaye, Chuck Bencik, Aaron Donovan and Ron Sutch, our Staff Photographer! For the time being, active, hands on restoration is now closed at the MTS A barn. I have been asked to stay on for fund raising and parts chasing. On Thursday, September 19th, we were able to move PCC #531 to our southwest display area here at the national City Depot! She is Jeff Trimble photo a 1946 St. Louis Car Co. product, capable of seating 50, and standing the same amount. Photos from that big day can be found through out this issue. As previously stated, we are now an official Movie Location, so she will be appearing in upcoming films. Of course, she will be painted in the color scheme of our very own San Diego Electric Railway Co., Inc. (We own the company name, and all intellectual property. Early on, I granted a license in perpetuity to MTS for The San Diego Vintage Trolley, Inc.) At the same time, we will also be promoting the San Diego Vintage Trolley, Inc. s PCC Car # 531 safe at home on it s own south display track #529, and others as they come on line. Please visit the website for schedules ( ) Our crew of volunteers, the late Art Aydelotte, as well as Dennis Frazier, have made dummy destination signs at my request, and we will change them from time to time to show authenticity to observers. Some of the best news here is that I was able to negotiate a much lower transportation price for this move. The first estimate I got was $2,000.00, and I got a price of only $ all inclusive for this move from our friends at C&D Towing Specialists of La Mesa, who are experienced locomotive and rolling stock transporters! Thanks so much to Bob Johnson and all at C&D! We will now be able to put that extra $1, toward the body and paint work that is Part Two of Project #531. We are scurrying to move track inspection equipment from the southwest display area to the Track#1, North to make way for the new display of #531. None of the things we accomplish could be possible without our volunteers! Thanks so much for making your museum a better place! Come visit, and enjoy all the improvements in your Museum!

4 Page 4 SDERA Trolley Lines Times are tough, you say? So it s harder to make the grade than it used to be? Well, I ll tell you what I m going to do. I m going to recall some of the experiences I had when I started with the San Diego Electric Railway Company back in When I came here to visit my parents for a few days, San Diego hit me right between the eyes, just as it does so many visitors now. I decided then that I would stay here or starve in the attempt. Work was scarce, and I had a wife and baby in New Mexico. I was hoarding forty five dollars cash to bring them out if and when I located a job. Well, right then, Room 210 came into my destiny, for it was there that my application was taken for street car conductor. I did not tell them that I didn t know one end of a street car from another and was a stranger in San Diego. While awaiting an indefinite call to break-in, I landed a job as cashier at Coronado Tent City. The job paid fifty-five dollars per month and tent rent. I sent for my family, and we set up housekeeping in a tent. If you want a healthy and invigorating life, just try that! At night we could lie in bed and look up through the holes in the canvas roof at the stars in the heavens. Continued to Looks to me on page 8 Here is a sight to bring sadness to the heart of any true railroad man... Beautiful iron rails being torn from their bed to be consigned to the junk heap, used as pilings for a pier, or employed in other equally ignominious roles, ne er again to resound to the passing of railroad wheels. Woe is me, but that is progress for you! With the advent of through bus service between Coronado and San Diego via the ferry June 1, 1947, street cars for Coronado became ancient history. For the past several weeks, track foremen J. A. McDaid and C. E. Clifton have been busy with their crews along Orange Avenue tearing up the track preparatory to the landscaping of the areas by the City of Coronado. It s a man-sized job, too! The entire track, rails, ties and all are lifted right out of the ground by four Duff track jacks, each capable of lifting 10 tons. The track crew then shovels away the top soil. Rail joints are removed with an acetylene torch and a second crew follows behind to pry out the spikes. By the time the month-long job is completed, approximately 2000 Redwood ties will have been salvaged. Over 250 tons of rails will have been removed and sold to local marine construction companies, the City of San Diego and salvage yards. The track was acquired in 1910 when the line was purchased by the Company from the Coronado Railway Company. Editor s note: This article and the following three in the series are reprinted from the October, November, and December 1947 issues of the Transit Topics magazine that was published monthly by the San Diego Electric Railway.

5 October 2013 Page 5 Moving day for Car # 531 Early morning Thursday the 19th; Car #531 leaves the comfort and safety of A barn at the MTS shops. With only inches to spare, Car #531 clears the first of many obstacles. Smooth sailing down Harbor Drive

6 Page 6 SDERA Trolley Lines Chuck Bencik looks on as the C&D crew threads the needle at the National City Depot Car #531 joins the others in the south display yard Bob Johnson masterfully eases car # 531 into place

7 October 2013 Page 7 Members of the SDERA and the folks at C&D towing gather to celebrate a job well done. Back row: Bob Johnson (C&D), Chuck (C&D), Dave Slater, Jeff Trimble, Dan Kelly. Middle row: Chris (C&D), Trish (C&D), Ron Sutch, Anthony Carideo, Chuck Bencik. Front row: Kainoa

8 Page 8 SDERA Trolley Lines Continued Looks to me from page 4 God above must have been looking down on us, for just as Tent City was to close, my call came to breakin on the cars. The pay was 25 cents per hour. House rent was 12 dollars per month, bacon was 20 cents a pound, and a good pair of shoes cost 3 dollars-anda- half. There were no time checks in those days, and pay day was once a month. I ll never forget my start with Tom Bailey as line instructor. We left the M Street car-house and via Route 2, continued along University Avenue to the end of the line at Fairmount, and on the return trip brought in a standing load of passengers before daylight. As for me, I was in a fog. Sun-up came during the second trip, but the route was so long and crooked that I wondered if we would get back to town in time for lunch. We made four round trips before the noon relief arrived. After learning to snatch nickels on Route 2, ring the cash register, give proper bells to the motorman to stop and start, and make up my own list of streets on that line, I progressed (???) to Route 1, operating from Logan Heights via 16th, Market, Fifth, University, Normal, and Park Blvd. to Mission Cliff Gardens. I was well acquainted with San Diego - that is, from the ferry to 5th and Broadway on Route 9- but when I took out on Route 2, the longest and most crooked line one could ever imagine, and then the longer yet but not so crooked Route 1, I soon realized that I had a lot to learn if I were to avoid being lost in a great city. Probably thought I was quite an expert by the time I started on Route 1, but I will never forget the day that I gave two bells for the motorman to start the car at Mission Cliff Gardens when an elderly lady had only one foot on the lower step. Jack Wilson, my instructor, nearly yanked the bell cord down in giving the stop signal so as to avoid an accident, and I was told in terms I will never forget, You are either ready to start or you are not, and you were not ready to start that time. Never do that again while I m responsible for you. On about the fifth day of breaking in (and me still in a mental fog), we began to connect up with other lines that I had learned, and I began to see the light. Streets learned on all the lines then in operation have always remained clear in my mind, but I still have to look at a map to be sure of streets on extensions or new lines established since that time. While my motorman carried sand for his sand boxes, got a ladder and oiled both trolley wheels, and cleaned his front windows, I learned to sweep cars, wash windows, and dust seats before pulling out, and not on pullout time, either. This always warmed us up, but gave us sweaty clothes and dirty hands at the start of the run. However, few streets were paved, so the dirt was little compared to that we got on the trip. Continued to Looks to me on page 9 A Salute To Our Volunteers! They are: Dave Slater Tom Carnes Chris Higgins Amanda (dog) Tim Higgins Jim Anderson Jim Price Chuck Bencik Randy Butler Robert Butler Mitch Beauchamp Jeff Trimble Mike Reneau Richard Finch George Geyer Jason Ballard Dan Kelly Ron Sutch Mitch Kaye Gary Johnson Sergio Lopez Michael Ballard Jody Surowiec John DeLalla Robert Baxter Samantha (dog) Missy Cheeseman Keeper (cat) Anthony Carideo Kainoa (dog) Sean McColgan Sandy (dog) Patrick McColgan Scotty Lewis Tim Lewis Carl Lewis Tom Sapien Pete Pearson Mike Quigg Matt Zacharzuk Bill Steinmetz Conrad Gomez Dr. John Dunn Dale Evans (He) Charles Smith Hubert Jansen Steve Mitton Jason Ballard WE COULDN T OPERATE WITHOUT YOU! Thanks!

9 Commander Thomas William Matson, 74, (USN(R) (Ret.) died August 2, 2013 after a relatively short illness. He was a Naval Aviator (Navigator) and had many interesting flying stories. Especially about the PBY Catalina, a very long range aircraft. Tom said that he had been a member of our organization for 50 years, and held every office. At the time of his demise, he was Corporate Secretary, previously, Treasurer. In addition to his duties as Secretary, he was also Special Events Director, Docent coordinator/trainer, October 2013 Tom Matson Passes and a member of the Speaker s Bureau. He was always quick to assist anywhere needed. A very valuable personnel asset indeed. Page 9 Tom was also an avid photographer, and belonged to several photo clubs here in town. He was also a long time salesman at Nelson Photography in Little Italy. He was a devoted family man, survived by his wife of 45 years, Mayra, two sons, and numerous grandsons. Burial was at Glen Abby Memorial Park through The Chapel of the Roses. A Memorial service was later held at The First Baptist Church in La Jolla, attended by an estimated 150 well wishers. Tom was put to rest at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. He will be sorely missed by all. The winter of 1912 was the year that. ice, a quarter-of-aninch thick, froze on the Plaza fountain and the citrus trees froze down to the trunks. I never wore more clothes in my life in Iowa winters or Oklahoma blizzards trying to keep warm than I did on the platform that winter. Uniforms were of heavy blue broadcloth, with a heavy winter cap to match, and a straw cap for summer. We never entered a saloon in uniform and were not permitted to smoke at any time while on duty. Cars were mostly of the California type with an open section on each end, where you froze to the bone, and a closed section in the center of the car where you got up a good sweat. Continued from Looks to me on page 8 It was the usual thing during peak hours to leave 5th and Broadway with over a hundred passengers hanging on wherever they could get a toe hold, while the conductor collected a nickel from each one and rang it up, and they began getting off at 9th and Broadway on Route 2. Experience is valuable, even though acquired the hard way. After a leave of absence during the summer of 1913 to do a second hitch at Tent City, a company property, I undertook to relieve Cash Receiver Frank Perkins, for his vacation. We started at 4 p.m. in Room 214, Union Building, and after the day men were all relieved up town, the receiver moved down to M Street Car House to finish at about 1 a.m., taking in a total of $3500 to $3 700 daily, all in cash and mostly in small change. The receiver also kept the record of passenger statistics for each run- -cash fares, school tickets, tickets and transfers, adding across the page to carry out the total. All my previous experience had been in a bank, adding up and down the column. At the end of the first week I had not yet struck a balance on my books. Usually I got through in time to go home on the first car about 5 a.m.

10 Page 10 SDERA Trolley Lines Letters Mr. John R. DeLalla Solana Beach, CA August 1, 2013 Dear John, Many thanks for your most kind and generous donation to pay for new letterhead, envelopes and checks for our organization in the ongoing streamlining process. I also congratulate you for stepping up, and assuming the duties of membership/docent/special events coordinator, since Tom Matson is no longer able to carry on these duties, as well as running for Chris Higgins s seat in the upcoming November elections. I ask and accept your decision to attend all board meetings (The second Monday of every month@ 7pm at the Depot) to bring us up to date on these new most important duties. Of course, I will copy you on the Agenda that I send out the week prior, so recipients may add items they may want to discuss at the meeting, and I will add to the Agenda. It is because of you, and people like you, that we are able to move forward in our mission to offer the best Corporate and Museum experience in the region. This hard copy letter will go out in tomorrow s mail.

11 October 2013 Page 11 The Horseless Carriage Club of America San Diego Regional Group Attn: Deborah Love Judd, President Chula Vista, CA August 23,2013 Dear President Deborah Judd, I was recently informed by our people that your two donation checks for Project #53I have arrived. It is important for you to know that I have explained to both Sam and Michael Judd that Project#53l has two parts. Part One is for the transportation to our Museum, and Part Two is for the body and paint work for the outside of this PCC car. We already reached the goal of Part One which is $2, Part Two is $12,700.00, and we are building that amount with incoming donations, of which your donation will be a part. They have both agreed with this concept. Hard copy of this letter will go out in tomorrow morning s mail, this is an interim acknowledgement. As you know, we publish our news magazine, Trolley Lines, every other month. The upcoming issue is the October 2013 issue, and your donation will be noted in that issue We sincerely thank your organization for their great generosity. It is because of both people and organizations such as you and yours that we are able to realize our financial goals to continue to grow our Museum.

12 San Diego Electric Railway Association d.b.a. San Diego Electric Railway PLEASE ADDRESS ALL WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE TO 922 WEST 23RD STREET, NATIONAL CITY, CA SDERA is at the historic National City Depot, off I-5 at Mile of Cars Way - take Bay Marina Dr. west, right on Cleveland, go one block and left on W. 23rd St and straight into the Depot Open Thursday through Sunday, 9 AM 5 PM. Depot phone: call (619) Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID San Diego, CA Permit No To submit items to the Newsletter, contact : Richard Finch via (editor@sdera.org) Items need to be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to publication. -- Next issue in December Please send all photos in the largest size as possible. 2 or 3 meg file ( about 1000 pixels on the longest side) also include the names from left to right of people in the photos. Attention Members: Please look carefully at the mailing label. If your membership has expired, or will expire soon, and you wish to renew your membership, or become a new member, we offer the following levels: Life,(for a single member) $400; Family, $35(please include names); Regular(or Individual) $25; Senior age 60 and up, $15; Junior for ages 17 and below, $15. Checks can be made out to, SDERA and mailed to SDERA, 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA Upcoming Events Monthly meetings are normally held at 7:30 PM on the 2nd Saturday at the National City Depot. Optional no host dinner at The Barbeque Pit Restaurant E. Plaza Blvd, National City at 5:30PM about 1 block east of Highland Ave. and Plaza Blvd. Plan to arrive at 7PM to see the Gift Shop, chat, and buy raffle tickets. The raffle starts at 7:15 PM. You can Now find us on: San-Diego-Electric-Railway-Association/ The general meeting and Board meeting information for the remainder of 2013 follows. All of this is now on our Web site. October 12, 2013 George Geyer will present a slide show covering the early days ( ) of the San Diego Trolley, including construction. The slides were taken by the late Corky Thomson. November 9, 2013 SDERA Annual Meeting: President s report Election of officers and directors By-laws amendments Program: To be announced December: Please note that there is no general meeting in December Board of Directors Meetings All members are invited to attend the Board of Directors meetings at the National City Depot. The meetings begin at 7:00 PM on the second Monday of each month. The remaining meetings for 2013 will be held on October 14, November 11, and December 9.